The Floor of Heaven by Howard Blum

The Floor of Heaven by Howard Blum

New York Times bestselling author Howard Blum expertly weaves together three narratives to tell the true story of the 1897 Klondike Gold Rush.

It is the last decade of the 19th century. The Wild West has been tamed and its fierce, independent and often violent larger-than-life figures--gun-toting wanderers, trappers, prospectors, Indian fighters, cowboys, and lawmen--are now victims of their own success. But then gold is discovered in Alaska and the adjacent Canadian Klondike and a new frontier suddenly looms: an immense unexplored territory filled with frozen waterways, dark spruce forests, and towering mountains capped by glistening layers of snow and ice.

In a true-life tale that rivets from the first page, we meet Charlie Siringo, a top-hand sharp-shooting cowboy who becomes one of the Pinkerton Detective Agency's shrewdest; George Carmack, a California-born American Marine who's adopted by an Indian tribe, raises a family with a Taglish squaw, and makes the discovery that starts off the Yukon Gold Rush; and Jefferson "Soapy" Smith, a sly and inventive conman who rules a vast criminal empire.

As we follow this trio's lives, we're led inexorably into a perplexing mystery: a fortune in gold bars has somehow been stolen from the fortress-like Treadwell Mine in Juneau, Alaska. Charlie Siringo discovers that to run the thieves to ground, he must embark on a rugged cross-territory odyssey that will lead him across frigid waters and through a frozen wilderness to face down "Soapy" Smith and his gang of 300 cutthroats. Hanging in the balance: George Carmack's fortune in gold.

At once a compelling true-life mystery and an unforgettable portrait of a time in America's history, The Floor of Heaven is also an exhilarating tribute to the courage and undaunted spirit of the men and women who helped shape America.

HOWARD BLUM has written eight prior books, including the national hits Wanted! and Blum, who is currently a contributing editor at Vanity Fair, previously worked as a writer for the New York Times, where he received multiple journalism accolades and was twice nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for his investigative reporting.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780307461735
ISBN 10	0307461734
Title	The Floor of Heaven
Author	Howard Blum
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Random House USA Inc
Year published	2012-03-27
Number of pages	448
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.